Due to the generosity of friends of the School of Law, alumni, and state appropriations, the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law offers a number of scholarships to entering first-year law students. These scholarships include academic merit awards, diversity awards, and awards for students with demonstrated financial need. In addition, there are scholarships funded by private donations based on specific criteria. Most scholarships are based on the information in the application, although some require additional information. To be considered for scholarships for which financial need is a factor, applicants must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Some scholarship awards are based on the information in the application for admission, while others require additional information. All applicants are encouraged to complete the optional questions on the application and submit any required addenda. With the exception of the Memphis Access and Diversity Law Scholarship, all admitted applicants are considered for scholarships. The Memphis Access and Diversity Law Scholarship is only available to Tennessee residents and applicants must complete the optional questions and submit the required separate statement. To be considered for scholarships, applications must be completed by the March 1 deadline. Recipients will be notified as soon as possible of their scholarship award, usually by May 1.

Scholarships are funded in varying amounts ranging from partial to full in-state tuition awards. Many of the awards are renewable for all three years of law school, while others are limited to one year only. If you do not receive scholarship assistance as an entering student, you can apply for second- and third-year scholarships in the spring of each year. Returning student scholarship awards are based upon a variety of criteria, including academic performance in law school, service to the law school and community, and financial need.

Claude T. Coffman Memorial Scholarship is named in honor of the late Professor and former interim Dean of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. The scholarship is made available through the donations of the Coffman family and friends of Professor Coffman. All students are eligible for consideration with selection based upon academic merit and financial need.

Cleveland Drennon, Jr. Memorial Scholarship is funded by Humphrey E. Folk, Jr. and the Drennon family and friends.  All full-time students are eligible for this award, with special consideration given to student-athlete graduates of The University of Memphis or Vanderbilt University.

Federal Court Bench and Bar Scholarships are awarded to economically disadvantaged law students from the Middle District of Tennessee. The recipients must be in good academic standing at the law school or the most recent school attended, but this is not intended to be a merit or academic achievement based scholarship. The goal is to broaden the Middle District of Tennessee bar through expanded opportunities for law students from all backgrounds. The recipients must have demonstrated financial need and must have either graduated from a high school in, or resided for the previous three years as a non-full time student in, one of the following Tennessee Counties:  Cannon, Cheatham, Clay, Cumberland, Davidson, DeKalb, Dickson, Fentress, Giles, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Lawrence, Lewis, Macon, Marshall, Maury, Montgomery, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Wayne, White, Williamson, or Wilson. The recipient does not become ineligible for this scholarship merely by moving from the Middle District to the Western or Eastern District to attend law school.  The following students are ineligible for this scholarship:  Judges and employees of the United States courts and their family members, and Nashville Bar Association employees or Board members and their family members. “Family member” shall include any person covered by Canon 3C(1)(d) or (3)(a) of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges.

Herbert Herff Presidential Law Scholarships are funded by the Herbert Herff Trust. The trust was created by a combination of funds from the Herbert Herff Estate, state appropriations, and University funds. The School of Law awards several Herff Scholarships each year to students who have demonstrated high academic or professional achievement and who show potential for an outstanding law career. These scholarships can be renewed for an additional two years if the recipient maintains full-time status and earns a law grade point average of 2.67.

Robert and Elaine Hoffman Memorial Scholarship is named in honor of the late Chancellor Robert Hoffman and his sister Elaine.  All students are eligible for consideration, with selection based upon academic merit.

Judge William B. Leffler Scholarship is awarded to a student who has demonstrated both academic merit and financial need. The award is funded through the Leffler family, the donations of friends, and proceeds from the annual bankruptcy law seminar in Judge Leffler's memory.

H. H. McKnight Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a veteran of the United States Armed Forces with financial need and who is interested in pursuing a career in criminal law. Two scholarships are awarded annually, one to an entering student and one to a returning student.  Final selection is made by the donor committee.

Memphis Access and Diversity Law Scholarship. The Tennessee Board of Regents has  allocated funds for a diversity scholarship program at the University of Memphis Cecil  C. Humphreys School of Law. If you are interested in applying for this diversity  scholarship, you must complete the scholarship portion of the  application and attach a separate statement explaining in detail the  circumstances that qualify you to be considered for this scholarship. To the extent  possible, you should attach corroborating information to document an economic or  educational disadvantage. Only Tennessee and residents who complete this portion of the  application and submit the required separate statement will be considered for this  scholarship.

Out-of-State Tuition Waiver Scholarship. The University of Memphis has a non-resident tuition waiver scholarship available for students whose credentials exceed the median of their entering class or who bring diversity to the law school. Applicants selected for this award will have their out-of-state tuition waived and will pay at the in-state rate. Up to five awards are offered annually. If selected, the applicant must remain in good academic standing for the out-of-state tuition waiver to be renewed. Only non-residents are eligible to apply and the waiver would only apply to law school tuition. Interested candidates should contact the Law Admissions Office.

Donald & Susie Polden Dean's Scholarship supports deserving law students who have demonstrated a commitment to community or public service or who express their desire to serve their community during or following law school. Dean Donald J. Polden was dean of the law school from 1993 - 2003.

Amy E. Spain Memorial Scholarship was established by the family and friends of Amy Elizabeth Spain who, at age 30, died in a car accident in 1995. A 1989 graduate of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, Ms. Spain was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Memphis, Tennessee, served as a judicial clerk for U.S. District Court Judge James Todd in Jackson, Tennessee, and was an adjunct professor of Legal Methods and Writing at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. The Attorney General authorized a posthumous award of superior performance in honor of Ms. Spain. The scholarship is given to a law student who has demonstrated academic merit, a commitment to community/professional service, and personal industriousness.

Joseph Henry Shepherd Scholarship is made possible by an endowment fund established by Dorothy S. Shepherd.  It is awarded on the basis of academic performance and financial need.  Three scholarships are awarded annually, one to a member of each class.

James F. and Donna Springfield Scholarship is made possible by an endowment fund established by Mr. and Mrs. Springfield. One scholarship is awarded annually to an entering student who is a graduate of Rhodes College. Mr. Springfield, a retired executive vice-president and general counsel of Union Planters National Bank, earned his law degree in 1960 from The University of Memphis Law School after receiving his B.A. degree with distinction in economics in 1951 from Rhodes College (formerly Southwestern at Memphis). Mrs. Springfield attended The University of Memphis in 1971.

Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP Scholarship is made possible by Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP.  This scholarship will be offered every three years to a full-time student attending the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis, with a preference for a Tennessee or Kentucky resident.  The gift is made with the intention of enhancing and assisting the School of Law in achieving its goal of greater diversity in its classes, by making it financially possible for highly qualified applicants from underrepresented racial or ethnic populations to choose the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis.  The recipient will also be offered a summer intern position with the Firm for the summer following the recipient’s first academic year provided the recipient meets the eligibility requirements for the Scholarship award.

University of Memphis School of Law
207 Humphreys Law School
Memphis, TN 38152-3140
901.678.5403
lawadmissions@memphis.edu